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Abraham votes against amnesty bill

WASHINGTON - Congressman Ralph Abraham, M.D., R-Alto, today voted against HR 6, the American Dream and Promise Act that could grant amnesty to as many as 4 million illegal immigrants.

The bill passed in the Democratic-controlled U.S. House of Representatives.

“Today’s amnesty vote shows that Democrats would rather roll out the red carpet for illegal immigrants than secure our border and help the overwhelmed agents who patrol it. We are a nation that welcomes immigrants who come the right way, but we are also a nation of laws. This bill grants amnesty to those who skipped the line and broke our laws. It rewards criminal behavior and undermines our entire justice system, and I voted against it,” Abraham said.

Abraham supports building a wall along the southern border, and he supported President Donald Trump’s emergency declaration that freed up funds to begin construction on the wall, which is needed due to the record number of illegal border crossings. In just the last month, Customs and Border Protection has apprehended an average of 4,500 people per day, while the number of people apprehended in just the first seven months of the fiscal year has already surpassed last year’s total.

HR 6 does nothing to curb illegal immigration. It spends $34.6 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office, to implement its amnesty plan that could make between 2 to 4 million illegal immigrants eligible for legal status. It spends $0 on border security.

It also rewards criminal behavior by granting a pathway to citizenship for green card applicants with criminal records. It rewards those who came into the United States illegally by providing them a special pathway to citizenship that is unavailable to immigrants who follow our laws.